Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Community Engagement and Participant retention in Wikimedians of Tabora (ID: 22393041)/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 2024-07-01T00:00:00Z
Funding program: Rapid Fund
Report type: Final
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation where the user has submitted their midpoint report. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.General information[edit]
- Applicant username: Anuary Rajabu
- Organization name: N/A
- Amount awarded: 4650.99
- Amount spent: 4680.57 USD, 11739000
Part 1: Project and impact[edit]
1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
During the six-month grant period, we implemented a series of impactful activities, including training workshops, editathons, and a community gathering event in the final month for discussing and receiving feedback from community members. All these activities were conducted in person, which was crucial for fostering a sense of community and ensuring active participation. This approach allowed us to retain existing members and recruit new editors effectively.
The training workshops provided a comprehensive overview of Wikimedia projects and educated participants on how to contribute effectively. This resulted in increased familiarity and competency among participants in contributing to Wikimedia projects. The editathons, which focused on contributions to Wikipedia and Wikidata, led to a significant number of new and improved articles, particularly on Swahili Wikipedia and Wikidata, thereby enhancing the content and quality of these platforms.
In addition to these structured activities, the community gathering event held in the final month played a pivotal role in fostering a sense of community and providing valuable insights for future activities. Offering incentive gifts proved to be a strong motivator for participants, increasing retention and enthusiasm among both new and existing members. This approach encouraged consistent engagement with our activities.
Combining structured training sessions with practical editathons was particularly effective, as it enabled participants to apply their knowledge immediately, solidifying their skills and increasing their contributions to Wikimedia projects. As a result of these activities and approaches, many participants became well-acquainted with Wikimedia projects and developed the skills needed to contribute effectively. The significant contributions to Swahili Wikipedia and Wikidata underscore the success of our initiatives and the effectiveness of our strategies.
2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6jpGwMIid5/?img_index=2
Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
Materials used for general Wikipedia guidance: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/training/editing-wikipedia/wikipedia-essentials
Material used for Wikipedia editing guidance: https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mwongozo_(Kuhariri)
Material used for Wikidata guidance: https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/training/wikidata/introduction-to-wikidata
Wikimedia Projects Overview Ppt: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wPVCkQ8ULo78Ifgpl4z5UZLvRJ_5bEE7xkKn8UtBdUU/edit#slide=id.g27c908d2cd2_0_5
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Agree |
| F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning[edit]
4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below: 1. How many participants have remained active contributors? 2. Has underrepresented knowledge about Tabora's culture been incorporated into Wikimedia projects? 3. How many new editors have been recruited? 4. Do the participants have sufficient editing skills?
Throughout the project, we addressed several learning questions that provided valuable insights. We found that 90% of the participants remained active contributors, showing a passion for continuing their involvement in the Wikimedia ecosystem through their attendance at our events and ongoing contributions to Wikipedia. Additionally, we successfully recruited 40% of the new editors, who also demonstrated enthusiasm for participating in future community activities.
Upon evaluating the editing skills of our participants, we discovered that 57% exhibited advanced skills, 40% had moderate skills, and 3% were at a beginner level. This assessment was based on the quality of their contributions to Wikipedia and Wikidata, as well as post-event surveys from community members. Furthermore, significant and impactful content related to Tabora’s culture was added and improved on Swahili Wikipedia and Wikidata, effectively incorporating underrepresented knowledge into Wikimedia projects.
These insights will guide our future projects in several ways. We will continue strategies that have proven effective in retaining participants, such as in-person engagement and offering incentives. We will tailor future training to address the varying skill levels among participants, ensuring that beginners receive more foundational support while advanced contributors are challenged with more complex tasks. Additionally, we will keep focusing on incorporating underrepresented knowledge, especially cultural content, into Wikimedia projects, reinforcing our mission to diversify and enrich the available information. .
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
Yes, we encountered an unexpected but positive development during our project implementation. We established a strong partnership with Akili Platform Tanzania, an NGO focused on mental health, the environment, and climate change issues. This partnership emerged after Akili Platform Tanzania noticed our social media posts and was impressed with our work.
Their involvement, though unforeseen, significantly contributed to the success of our project. Many environmental and climate change experts from the NGO joined as participants, leading to numerous impactful contributions. This experience taught us the value of social media outreach and the potential for unexpected collaborations to enhance our project’s impact.
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
We used "Diff platforms" to share our project's learning and results.
Part 3: Metrics[edit]
7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
| Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 35 | 36 | |
| Number of editors | 33 | 34 | Programs & Events Dashboard and Manual registration |
| Number of organizers | 2 | 2 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 100 | 0 | 530 |
| Wikimedia Commons | |||
| Wikidata | 150 | 0 | 180 |
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| Wikivoyage | |||
| Wikibooks | |||
| Wikiversity | |||
| Wikinews | |||
| Wikispecies | |||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
No
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Part 4: Financial reporting[edit]
10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
11739000
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
4680.57
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Provide the link to the financial report Kindly find the financial report here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EDVhlFiBNMaRxlwprKykIHjjCX73oTHZIrslDwKHvAU/edit#gid=928458698
12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
N/A
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
No
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
N/A
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
Yes Your response to the review feedback. 14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
14.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)
Review notes[edit]
Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A